Works of darkness

Howdy folks!

My mom and I have been going through a devotional called Behold Your God. It is really good. Week seven discussed worship--acceptable worship versus unacceptable worship.
One of the days, we read Ephesians 5:8-12, 15-16, and were asked to summarize what God says about how the Christian is supposed to live a Godward life in the culture around him.   Here is what the verses say: 

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),¹⁰ finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. ¹¹ And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret...See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, ¹⁶ redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

Here is something that hit me as I was reading this passage and thinking about the question:  The verse says that we, as Christians living in our culture, need to walk as children of the light (the Light being God--1 John 1:5),  finding out, or proving as KJV says, what is acceptable to the Lord.  The way I take this is living as children of the light and setting the example of what is pleasing and acceptable to the Lord.   But then here's the contrast: We are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 

In summary, we are to live a life that shows what is acceptable to the Lord, and also exposes what is unacceptable to Him.

I was thinking about this. It's tough to expose works of darkness. Does that mean that we are to point out everyone's faults?  No. Because we all have faults and we can't expect anyone to be perfect. Of course, if a brother or sister in Christ is walking in sin, it might be out duty to confront them, bring their pattern of sin to their attention--lovingly--and, if they are willing, help them get back on the right track.    But exposing the works of darkness. What does this mean? This verse came up awhile ago in our sunday school.    We can expose the works of darkness by showing the world the truth. In our sunday school topic, we were talking about abortion. 

As Believers, (and I hope every true Believer in Jesus Christ is convinced of this) it is clear from the Bible that life is sacred and no one has the right to take it.  Including the life of an unborn child.  An unborn child is still made in the Image of God, and it is a direct assault on God if one deems that child unworthy to live life and kills it.  Life obviously begins from the womb, if you believe in the Bible.  

God tells Jeremiah in the first chapter of Jeremiah's book: 

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

It is said of John the Baptist in Luke chapter 1: He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

Later in the chapter when Mary, the mother of Jesus, came to visit her cousin Elizabeth who was 6 months pregnant with John the Baptist, it says,  "And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³ But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy." "

First of all, the fact that John was able to experience emotion at 6 months in the womb, and was able to recognize who Jesus was before either of them were even born, is a telling fact. Another interesting thing to point out in this last passage is that Elizabeth already referred to Mary as the mother of Jesus--when Jesus hadn't even been born yet. 

Then of course you have the whole 139th chapter of Psalms that describes God's sovereign hand in the formation of a child.    Guys, God has a plan for each child. He creates each child special and unique from their mother's womb--and in His Image! Each child bears the image of God and if we say that God's handiwork is not worth living life, or think that their life will be difficult and would be better for child and mother if that life was just not lived at all, we are putting ourselves in the place of God! That's a dangerous place to be, folks. 

Abortion is one 'work of darkness' that we can expose as being wrong. We need to be the voice for the voiceless, and we need the mothers of the precious children to know how precious their children really are--even if life might be difficult for both. 

I have made this into a two part post because it would be too long to fit into one, so be looking for part 2!

Any thoughts of yours on abortion, or Ephesians 5:8-12, 14-16? I'd like to hear!

Blessings,
Jewels <3

Self-Esteem and the Bible

Hola mis amigos!   Well whadda ya know, I'm back within a week! Isn't that a surprise?

In Sunday school this morning, our teacher taught a really good lesson that I thought I would share with you.

Say you have two people. The first one looks in the mirror and says, "Oh, I'm so good-looking. I'm so athletic and talented, too. It's no wonder that everyone wants to be my friend; it's no wonder that I'm so popular. I'm just all around wonderful."

The second person looks in the mirror and says, "Oh, these braces make me look awful. It's no wonder that no one wants to be my friend. Even if I did have a friend I wouldn't know what to say to them. I never know what to say to people."

These two people have a few things in common, but I'll only mention one. Though their perceptions are different, they are both looking at themselves. There is a problem here, though. They are measuring based off of how they see themselves, and what they believe others think about them.  This is dealing with something called self-esteem.   Here's a formal definition: Self-esteem: confidence in one's own worth or abilities; self-respect.   
The person in our first example has a high self-esteem. The person in our second example has a low self-esteem.  Our world today tells us that we need to think highly of ourself, we need to have a high regard for our character and abilities. 'Our self-esteem comes from within,' they say, 'and is not dependent on others around us.' Even some so-called-pastors preach this fake gospel: that all we need to do is think highly of ourself and not let others determine what we think, we just need lots of confidence in ourself and then everything will go good and we will get what we want and be happy. It doesn't work that way, guys, just saying.

So this is what the world is telling us. As Christians, is this the way we should view ourselves?    No. We need to look at the truth of the Bible. We need to see ourselves through God's eyes, with His perception.

Genesis 1:26-27 says this: 'Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image ['our' meaning the Trinity--God, three in one], in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female, he created them.'
Truth number one: I have been created by God in His Image.    Because of this, you are more valuable than rocks, than animals, than galaxies--humans are of more value than anything else God has created, because He created us alone in His Image, and nothing else.  This also says that we do not determine our worth. Neither do the people around us.  It is God who has determined our worth by creating us in His Image. This also tells us that our worth is not based on our physical abilities or appearances. Because every human being has been created in the Image of God, that means that our worth is in God, and the fastest runner in the world is just as valuable as the person who cannot run at all. This means that the little baby inside a mothers womb, is of equal value as you and I despite their size and form, because they are made in the Image of God, and no one has a right to destroy them, any more than they do to kill the human being that is walking in front of them.

With this truth revealed, it is easy to think that, because we are His Image bearers, we are on an equal plane with God. Is this your thought process? Read on.

Acts 17:24-25 says: 'The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Rather, He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.'
Truth number two: I am totally dependent on God for everything.   For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? This is what 1 Corinthians 4:7 says. All we have is given to us by God. Therefore, even though we are made in His Image, we are not God.  There is no ground for boasting, here. There is no room for confidence in ourselves, or thinking highly of ourselves, as if we could give ourselves anything. Here is a quote from A.W. Pink: He who cannot do what he will and perform all his pleasure cannot be God.

Lets see what 1 Corinthians 10:31 says: 'So wether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.'
Truth number three: I have been created to glorify God.    This is my purpose in life: to point back to Him.  Glorify means to assign to God due honor and respect. To demonstrate His greatness and worth and point it back to Him. To make much of Him. To honor Him.  We exist for God, not God, for us. He should be the center of our universe.

Romans 3:23 says this: 'For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.'
Truth number four: I have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.    Our purpose in life is to glorify God, yet we fall short of that glory. We are totally imperfect. We, as God's Image bearers, are supposed to reflect Him, yet most often we reflect ourself. We think about ourselves the most. We are supposed to put God at the center of our universe, yet most of the time we put ourself at the center of our universe.    We fall short of God's glory.

Romans 6:23: 'For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.'
Truth number five: I deserve God's condemnation.     It's simple. The wages of sin is death, it says that right here. The online definition of sin is this: Sin: An immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law. We just saw a moment ago in 1 Corinthians 10:31, that God commands us to glorify Him in everything that we do. Have you been successful in that? I sure haven't, and I'm pretty sure you've 'transgressed against that Divine Law', too. By definition, we deserve God's condemnation--spiritual death.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That's what Romans 5:6-8 says. This is the Good News, guys. We deserve condemnation. But Jesus Christ, our only hope, died for us to take the penalty for sin from us, and rose from the dead to declare that it was complete and justice satisfied. Our value is in Christ.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation. Old things have passed away, behold all things have become new-1 Corinthians 5:17.  A new self is the reality of anyone who is in Christ. Our value is in the person of Christ.

What were the two people in our beginning examples missing? In three letters: God. More specifically, they were measuring themselves based on their own perception, and the perception of those around them, rather than measuring themselves through God's eyes and through the truths that His word tells us. They are both of equal value because each of them were made in the Image of God, and have been so loved that God left His throne above and came to earth to die for each of them. One of them is not more valued because he/she is is more popular and good-looking and talented, and the other not less valuable because he/she has braces and is socially awkward.

Is this the way you see yourself? Perhaps you are guilty of all or part of what the person in each scenario was thinking about themselves. I am guilty of it. It was a challenge to me, today, to hear these truths, to see myself as having worth because of the fact that God created me in His Image, and yet be shown the side that leaves no room for my ugly pride in the facts that I am dependent on God for everything, my purpose is to glorify Him, yet I fall short of that purpose and deserve God's condemnation. But, that, again, Christ has died for me, releasing me from His just condemnation.
You see, it's all God.  Everything points back to Him. I can't go around boasting about myself, because I am of equal value as everyone else--no more valuable--and at the same time, I can't go around getting down on myself and saying I am worthless, because I was created in God's Image, and am just as valuable as everyone else--no less. I can't go around boasting about my goodness and righteousness or talents, because first of all, I have failed my purpose in life, and second of all, because everything I am able to do, is given to me by God Himself.  I have failed my purpose in life, but, glory to God! He has redeemed me and given me a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.  You see, all glory has to go back to Him. I can take no credit, and I can't live my life in pride. Hopefully this mindset would lead to a life of sincere service to Him.

It still amazes me every time I can see an individual snowflake like this. I mean, the things are SO tiny, and yet God created each of them so distinct and unique from each other!

Tomorrow when we wake up, lets start our day by looking to the Creator, not the creation.

Blessings,
Jewels <3

Haaappy New Year!!

Hey everyone! I'm back! (I just thought I'd sneak in another post here before 2017).

HAAAPPPY NEW YEAR!!
I hope your 2016 was filled with plenty of growth, memories, adventures and blessings, and that your 2017 will be even more so--in fact I hope it's your best year yet <3
I hope that you can look back on this year and see God's hand at work, see His faithfulness, see His blessings and love poured upon you even when you didn't see it then, and I hope you can go into this next year with confidence that He will do it again, and look forward to the new adventure He will take you on--or a new chapter of your current adventure, anyway :D

Thanks for reading my blog even though I seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth for a few months :D (actually, I didn't, I was just really busy.)

I know I say this every time, but I hope to get some more posts out there soon if possible. Did you realize that while I was gone, this blog had it's one year anniversary? Like, whaaaat?

Anyway, again, Happy 2016 past and Happy 2017 current! May the Lord's blessings be poured on you this year <3

Jewels <3

Christ's suffering

And I'm back again! 

When you think of Christ and what He did for us on the cross, what do you think of? Usually the suffering He went through, the pain and agony He suffered on our behalf. But don't you usually focus on the physical pain of the cross? The physical torture that He endured? There are many other people who have suffered this physical pain, so what makes Christ's suffering so different, aside from the fact that He was undeserving of it? 

In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Christ cried out to His Father, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt." And, "O my Father, if this cup many not pass away from me, except I drink it, Thy will be done." 
In essence, "Father if there is any other way than the cross, let it be done that way." What was it that Christ was dreading? Was it the physical pain that was coming? Was it the shame, shock, and humiliation that the death on a criminal's cross was designed to bring? I am quite sure that He was dreading that to and extent--He was fully God, yet fully human, and it is natural for a human to not look forward to pain and suffering. But there was something different that He was dreading. Experiencing the punishment of sin. What is the punishment of sin? The wrath of God. The turning of the face of God from extending the arm of mercy. The inflicting of an eternity of His full judgement. If Jesus Christ was taking the punishment of all of our sin upon His shoulders, this is what He must experience.

On the cross, Jesus suffered all of these things--the wrath of God, the turning of His face from extending the arm of mercy, the inflicting of an eternity of God's full judgement--the equivalent, of what the necessary punishment was for the sin of all human beings--along with the physical pain and torture that comes with death on a cross, all in just a few hours. Imagine an eternity's worth of judgement for every sinner in the entire world, past present and future, being inflicted on you in the span of just a few hours?  When He cried in agony, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" He was experiencing God the righteous Judge. Someone mentioned that up until that point, Jesus had always spoken of God as His Father. Now, He refers to Him instead as God.  He is experiencing the wrath of a holy and just God. 

But isn't this cruel? you ask.  God the Father willingly and actively delivered up His only begotten Son to endure the punishment of sin.  Cruel? Yes, that's what first comes to my mind when I think about this.  But lets step back and consider the situation from both perspectives--that of the Father, and that of the Son.

Think of the Father. His only begotten Son, a Son who is perfect, whom He loves more that you and I could ever imagine. He loves Him more that Abraham loved Isaac. More than Rebecca loved Jacob. More than Jacob loved Joseph and Benjamin. More than even Mary could have loved her own Son, Jesus in the flesh. We don't have the capacity to love as the Father loves. We simply don't. And God the Father loved His Son more than anything. I think it's safe to assume it grieved Him to think about delivering up His Son to be crucified and to endure the torment of His own righteous and just fury that was destined for all the inhabitants of the world because of their sin. If you had a child that you loved as much as He, it would be by no means an easy or simple thing to deliver up that child to be hurt and shamed and humiliated. It would likely be the hardest thing you ever did in your life. Your heart would cry in love, 'No! don't let it be!' But because God the Father had someone else in mind--filthy, rebellious, disobedient, wicked, evil little sinners called You and Me--because He loved those filthy little sinners so much, He was willing to do it. He loved You and Me so much, rebellious and sinful and wicked as we are, that He couldn't bear to see us have to endure the punishment that we deserved, so, being a Righteous Judge who cannot leave sin unpunished, He made a plan to relieve that debt. The payment of the debt included the inflicting of God's wrath on a perfect, sinless person, and that person was Jesus Christ. It was the only way. And God the Father was willing, on our behalf, to deliver up His only Son whom He loved, to be the payment for our sin, to endure the full torment of His wrath in place of us. So that we don't have to experience that righteous wrath and fury that we deserve. 

Now, let's think about the Son's perspective. After considering the perspective of the Father, it makes it a little easier to understand, but it would still seem cruel if the Father delivered up His Son without His Son's consent or agreement to the plan. "Easy for the Father to do," we think. "He's not the one experiencing the pain." What if Christ didn't want to endure the punishment of our sins? I am quite sure that He didn't want to, either. I am quite sure that He thought of the punishment with extreme dread and trepidation. No one in their right minds would enjoy that wrath of God. Would it be safe to say, even though He is God and not merely human, that God the Son did not look forward to being the payment for our sins? Yet He, too had someone else in mind. Those filthy, rebellious, disobedient, wicked, evil little sinners called You and I. And because He saw us even while we were still in rebellion and sin, and He loved us so much that He couldn't bear to see us wretches experience the wrath of His holy and just Father, He willingly gave Himself up to the Father, to be delivered up, taken from His glory and relocated to a filthy, wicked earth, to live among and be rejected and mocked and shamed and spit upon and persecuted by the filthy little wretches He had come to save, all His life, to go to the cross and be mocked and shamed and spit upon and beat some more,  and then experience the torment of the full wrath of God as punishment for, not His sins, but the sins of all the people of the world, people who even now spit upon Him and laid the whip to His sides and nailed His hands to the cross and mocked Him and placed a crown of thorns upon His head and tore His clothes from Him. He was dying for these people. Not because we deserve His love and forgiveness by ANY MEANS WHATSOEVER. We deserve the  full wrath of God, inflicted upon us for an eternity of eternities. But because He loved us. Don't ask me why. There isn't an answer. He simply loved us with the love He has that is unexplainable. 

So, there. After considering both perspectives, what do you think now? God the Father did not give up His Son because He didn't love Him, He did it because He loved us SO much, that He was willing to deliver His Son up and inflict the judgement on Him, because there was no other way. Jesus Christ is the only perfect One who has ever lived and ever will live on this earth.  And God the Son wasn't forced to go to the cross; I'm sure He didn't look forward to it, but He did it because He also loved us SO much, that He was willing to deliver Himself up to the Father's hands to become the payment for our sins.  Does that make a difference in how we view Christ at the cross? 

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" ~Romans 8:31-32 

*And, by 'all things', this verse does not mean a luxurious house and wealth and everything you could want.  Those are things material. This means things that are eternal. It means, if God has not even withheld His own Son, but has delivered Him up to be crucified, what else would He not do for us? It's like a boss saying to his employee, "We have decided that we want to bestow you with a great gift. We are going to pay for you to fly to any place in the world, no matter how expensive it is, and we are going to pay for all your expenses--your food and lodging and anything you would like to do or buy while you are there." And then, after expressing his gratitude over and over again, with tears of joy, the employee asks for a tissue and the boss denies it to him. If God has done so much as to give His own Son, is He not also going to provide for us our daily needs and be faithful to grow us into the likeness of His Son, be with us through everything and bring us home to glory when we have been laid to our rest? These things are trivial in comparison. Just wanted to clarify :)

Now, as you go about your day--or night for that matter--think of the suffering of Christ in a new light. Not just the physical pain He endured--the nail pierced hands and feet, the lashes, the crown of thorns, the shame, shock and humiliation. Think also of what He endured more than that. The torture of all the wrath of God designed for every sinner that ever lived, inflicted upon Him in a matter of three hours.  And He did that willingly. For you. You may not think that you are wicked. But you are. Trust me, you are. 

Blessings,

Julia <3

Farm Additions

Helloo everyone!

In my last post, I told you to stay tuned for a post on farm additions. Well stay tuned no longer! The post is here! 

We have had a few additions to our farm in the last month or so. First off, meet our new rooster, Doodle!

He is a Buff Orpington rooster. We had no trouble at all introducing him to our flock, and within a day or two, it was as if he had never not been there :)  We were hoping that we would be able to hear him in the morning, but unless you have your window open and are listening for his crow, you can't really hear him--definitely not enough to wake you up in the morning!  But throughout the day he crows, and we love listening to him. Sometimes the end of his crow sounds like a broken record! It's kinda funny. Now we have the possibility of having fertilized eggs and can hatch new chicks on our own when we want or need to. Currently we are letting one of our broody hens sit on some eggs; hopefully those will hatch and grow into healthy chicks.

Another addition is that of some ducklings! Here is the story.

Our neighbor had a duck. We named her Inglebert. Inglebert lived with our ducks--with the knowledge and permission of her owner. Our male ducks mated with her. She laid a nest. The nest was in our front yard. The nest had thirteen eggs. Inglebert sat on the nest for two weeks. After two weeks, she got eaten by a predator. We built an incubator. We took the remaining five eggs and put them in the incubator. We overheated the incubator four times. (On accident :) ) We prayed that the eggs would hatch. Hatch day came. No eggs hatched. We waited four more days. One egg began to hatch! It was the only egg to hatch. It was a miracle duckling. We raised the duckling in a box in our kitchen. We let the duckling run around our house. We named the duckling Nibbles because it liked to nibble at our feet. Nibbles grew up. Nibbles moved outside. Nibbles was a female. Nibbles laid a nest. Her nest had eight eggs. Nibbles sat on her nest for four weeks. After four weeks, seven of her eggs hatched. The eighth was a dud.  

So that's how it happened. There were four black ducklings and three gray ducklings, all with a yellow spot on their chest. One of the black ducklings died yesterday; we assume that it got separated from the others and couldn't find it's way back and then possibly died from thirst. Ducklings need lots of water, and easy access to it; this duckling didn't have that when it got separated. We weren't home when the duckling died, so we aren't sure that this is the case, but it's what we assume.

Anyway, here are pictures of the ducklings. Guys, I think ducklings are the cutest things, so I took tons of pictures. Within the week and two days that they have been alive, I've taken about 497 pictures of them! Yikes. I'm just a tons of pictures type of person :) (Ask my fam, they'll tell you)
So, anyway, it's hard to pick just a few of 497 pictures to share with you! Beware.

In this picture, you can see the duckling coming out of the egg. More like it still has half the egg on top of it :) 

The two black ducklings were the first ones born, and are all dry and fluffed up in this picture. The grey duckling beside them however, has just been born and is still wet and floppy. 

I love this picture! 

Mama Nibbles is beautiful, too. The black ducklings will likely look like her when they grow up because she looked like them when she was a baby.

We found Nibbles and the ducklings on our back porch this morning. Apparently, they thought they were dogs or something, because they were standing in the dog dish eating dog food and drinking out of the dog's water container! :)

Stretching

Ducklings have a funny habit of laying their whole head down when they sleep. It's as if they have a pillow! They nod off when they go to sleep, too. Adult ducks nod off, also, but instead of laying their whole head down on the ground, they turn and rest their head on their back. Sometimes they sleep standing on one foot. It's so fun and funny to watch them! Ducks seem to have more of a personality; chickens, not as much. But, I like to eat chicken eggs better than duck eggs, and they are easier to take care of than ducks, so we have a balance :) 

There is supposed to be some more additions to the farm this coming Saturday or so; Another of our ducks, Black Beauty, has been sitting on a nest of her own. She has about six or seven eggs under her. She originally had eleven eggs, but through various mishaps, the number has diminished. 

This is Black Beauty sitting on her nest. 

So, there you have it! There is our farm additions. Now we have eleven chickens--ten hens and one rooster--and fourteen ducks. Hopefully we'll have about twenty-one ducks by the end of the week. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the animals that God has blessed us with! It is amazing to see the natural process of birth, growing, mothering, protecting, etc. that He has ordained in animals like this.  I hope it reminds you that He is in control and has made everything with all that they need--nothing lacking.

"For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him, and He is before all things, and by Him, all things consist." ~Colossians 1:16-17

Blessings,

Julia <3

Beauty

Hello Everyone!

Something that a lot of girls struggle with in our world today is the thought that 'I am not beautiful.' We will look in the mirror, see our imperfections, and tell ourselves that we are ugly, that so and so is more beautiful, I wish I was like her; So and So has the perfect complexion, hair, eye color, you name it--I wish I had that.  The problem is that we are measuring ourselves according to the world's standard of beauty. The world says that this is the way you should look in order to be beautiful. But what defines beauty? Is it the organ called skin that we so often judge a person by? Is it how thin we are or how perfect our smile is, etc? Most of you would agree with me; No! But what really defines it, then? 

Well, for one, our character. I think most of you know how a person can look perfect and beautiful physically, but their attitude blares just the opposite. Does that matter? Yes. You may also be aware of how a person that you wouldn't necessarily consider perfect physically can have a beautiful attitude and character. Does her physical appearance matter then? No. So, character is a better judge of beauty than physical appearance. 

There is another definition of beauty. Maybe you hear people tell you that you are beautiful. You may think that they are saying that just to be nice, but you really don't believe them. But do you know what? You are beautiful. Why do I say that? Because you are made in the image of God. God doesn't make mistakes. So when He made you, He 1) made you in His image, and 2) made you just the way He wanted you to be. When we say, 'I am not beautiful, I am ugly,' we are telling God that He made us to be ugly. But you know what? God looked at His creation and saw that it was very good. God is a good Creator. He makes things to be lovely and beautiful in their each, unique way. 

You look at a rose and see it's pink, red, orange, yellow or white shade and think, 'Ohh, that's a beautiful flower.' 

You look at an Indian Blanket otherwise known as the Firewheel flower, with it's many thin petals and fiery red band with yellow hem, and think, 'Wow, that is beautiful, too.' 

You look at a Day Lily with it's varieties of color, some red, some pink, some orange, and you see it's six, long petals, drooping gracefully down at the end of each petal, it's stamen and pistil extending above it's top. That's a beautiful flower, too! 

But, you see, the Indian Blanket doesn't have that same perfect shade of color as the rose, it has a completely different color scheme.  It has a different form in that it is more flat and open and has more petals each of which are narrower than a rose. The Day Lily is different from each of these, too. The flower itself is bigger and taller than the others, it's petals are long and graceful, it's stamen and pistil longer. But each is beautiful in it's own way. 

You could compare us humans to a flower: All flowers have two things in common--each was created by God, and each has the same general form that makes up a flower: A stem, stamen and pistil, petals, etc. But they each are different and unique--but beautiful--in their own way. They vary in color, size, general appearance, etc. Same with humans. We all have three things in common--we all are humans, we were created by God, and we are made in the image of God. But we each are different and unique in our own ways. Does that make us less beautiful? No! The same as a flower, we are different, but still beautiful in our own way. 

So, does that put beauty in a box, like the world does? You have to have this, this and that in order to be beautiful? No. God's creation shows that beauty is not put in a box, and a certain form, color, size, etc. is not what makes you beautiful. It is the fact that God created you and He creates things that are very good, the fact that He created you just the way He wanted you to be, and most of all, He created you in His image. 

"Beauty is vain and favor is deceitful, but the woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised."~Proverbs 31:30

Blessings,
Julia <3 
*These pictures, with the exception of the Indian Blanket flower (fourth picture from the top), are mine; please do not use without permission*

God's Care

Hello everyone!

Recently my family received a call that my sister wasn't doing to well. We gathered on our back porch and discussed the details and then we bowed our heads to pray. 

I had been working outside and had found a slug behind some old siding. As I sat and semi-dismally watched this slug leave it's gooey, slimy trail along my hand, listening to my dad as he prayed (Yes, I wasn't closing my eyes through the whole prayer :)), A thought suddenly struck me: God sees and cares for this little slug. And if God sees and cares for this slug, small and insignificant as it may be, how much more does He see and care for my sister in her troubles?  

I was surprised to find the slug in the same spot nearly a week later! 

According to the NLT version of Ephesians 2:10, we are 'God's masterpiece, created anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things that He prepared for us long ago.'  We are God's masterpiece. Humans are the only creations that are specifically created in His image (Gen. 1). We are special to Him. 

If God still watches out for, provides for, cares for His minute creations, how much more does He care for and watch out for us, His masterpieces, whom He created in His own image, whom He created to love Him and be loved by Him, to serve Him, to have a way undeserved relationship with Him? 

If you are feeling lonely, discouraged, unloved and uncared for, know that God cares for you. God is watching out for you, and loving you no less than when He first created you and when He died for you. Know that you are special to Him, and His thoughts toward you are more in number than the sands of the sea (Ps. 139:17-18). In fact, read the whole chapter of Psalm 139. It tells about just how special you are to Him; how much He cares for and watches out for you. 

"Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. " Matthew 10:29-31

Blessings,

Julia <3

*The photos in this post are mine; please do not use without permission*

Fear

Hello friends! 
I'm finally getting around to finishing and publishing this post! I've been working on it off and on for over two months-yikes! 

We are all afraid of something. Some things are big, some things are small. But in all of us there is something we fear. You will discover some of my fears as you read farther down :)

What is fear? 

'Fear: An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.'

Feelings describing fear: 'Terror, fright, horror, alarm, panic, trepidation, dread, distress, anxiety, worry, apprehensiveness, nervousness, foreboding.'

Fear, as I mentioned about anger in my post on  Trust, is an emotion given to us by God. 

Is it wrong?  I think it depends on the situation and the degree of fear present.

There are different forms of fear. One type can push us to action in a good way. If we are afraid that a certain plant or animal is poisonous, we will be persuaded to avoid that plant or animal at all costs and warn others when we feel they are in danger of it's affects. We avoid getting to close to a fire, touching a hot stovetop or boiling water, because we are afraid of the pain that it will cause. 
That kind of fear, I think is a healthy fear; a fear that is not wrong and displeasing to God. It is a feeling He has given us to warn us of danger.  

Another kind of fear is one that, again, I don't feel like is displeasing to God, but it is unnecessary, maybe silly, and can be overcome.  Fears for me that fall into this category might be these: talking on the phone and awkward silences. These fears are unnecessary and can be overcome with God's help, or, if it's an action, can at least be done despite that feeling. 

I will point out that if any of the above fears control us, then they are displeasing to God. The Bible says that we cannot serve two masters at the same time (Matt. 6:24). If we are controlled, or mastered, by fear, then we cannot be serving God simultaneously. 

A third kind of fear that I think is displeasing to God, would be fear resulting from a lack of trust. 

For me, fears falling into a this category would be these: Oppressive darkness, idioism that makes people do senseless,  evil things, death of someone I love. 

Near the beginning of this post, we were given a--the world's, at least--description of fear. What, then is trust? 

'Trust: Firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something; Allow someone to have, use, or look after (someone or something of importance or value) with confidence.'

Feelings describing trust: 'Confidence, belief, faith, certainty, assurance, conviction, credence; reliance.'

Why would this third type of fear be displeasing to God? Because we are told to trust God (Prov. 3:5; Ps. 37:3-5), and as I said before, this type of fear is usually resulting from a lack of trust. 

How do I know this? When we trust God we don't have anything to fear, because we trust who He is, and He is good and only does what is for our good as His children, and His glory as God (Rom. 8:28). We trust that He is sovereign and has control over every situation in our life (2 Chr. 20:6, Prov. 16:9, Ps. 115:3). We trust that He knows best and better than we do (Jer. 29:11; Rom. 8:28). We trust that He will protect us and guide us and carry us through tough situations (Ps. 66:10-12; Is. 46:4; Is. 63:9). We trust that no matter what happens in this life, He is always with us (Matt. 28:20; Is. 41:10) and if we are a child of God, we will be with Him in heaven forever (Jn. 3:16).   If we trust that God knows best, that He has control, that whatever happens is for our best--and that includes death for 'to live is Christ and to die is gain' (Phil. 1:21), is there any room for fear? I don't think so.  

What does the Bible say about fear?

'God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, and though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.' Ps. 46:1,2 
'When I am afraid, I will trust in You; in God (I will praise His word), in God, I have put my trust. What can man do to me?' Ps. 56:3-4
' The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army encamp around me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident.' Ps. 27:1,2
'I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all of my fears.' Ps. 34:4
'Be strong and courageous; do fear, do not be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.' Josh. 1:9
'God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love and of power and of a sound mind.' 2 Tim. 1:7 
'So we may boldly say, the LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?' Heb. 13:6, Ps. 118:6
'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.' Ps. 23:4
"Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you; I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness."~Is. 41:10

Some verses that have comforted me when I am afraid along with some of the above ones, have been these: 
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." Heb. 2:14,15 
While I am not afraid of death for myself, I am sure without a doubt of where I will go after I die, you might say that sometimes I was/am 'subject to bondage of fear of death' of others that I love. It has been really hard to let go and surrender those I love to the LORD. But they are WaY better off in God's hands than mine! It is a lesson that I still struggle with sometimes. 

"I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings shalt you trust: His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies by day; Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday." Ps. 91:2-6

"Yet in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." Rom. 8:37


If you are afraid of the hard times that the Bible warns are coming with the end times (I'm not sure about you, but I often am), here is a verse pertaining to that: "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you in prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life." Rev. 2:10

So, let us not be afraid, rather let us stand strong, trust Christ, and walk forward with boldness.

I have to say, friends, that writing this post has been very good for me to process these things and realize that I need to and can trust Christ.  And it has actually helped me to maybe not be so afraid. I hope it has encouraged you, too!

I hope you have a blessed day :)

Julia <3


*The photos in this post are mine; please do not use without permission*